Ship of Dreams
by SamanthaKari
Summary: Titanic is ready to make her maiden voyage across the expansive Atlantic, and Isabella and Angela Swan are ready to leave behind the only home they've ever known, starting anew in New York. They find excitement, adventure, and so much more during their 5 days afloat, but one dark and fateful night, and a signal seconds too late, could cause it to all come crashing down.
1. Prologue

Full Summary: Middle class Southampton residents Isabella and Angela Swan are about to embark on the journey of a lifetime. Titanic, White Star's newest luxury liner, is ready to make her maiden voyage across the expansive Atlantic, and the sisters have a direct passage to the states, leaving behind the only home they've ever known to start anew in New York. The two find excitement, adventure, and so much more during their five days afloat, but one dark and fateful night, and a signal seconds too late, could cause it all to come crashing down. This apparent _Ship of Dreams_ could hold the key to a lifetime of happiness, or to a world of heartache.

* * *

"I can't believe it's gone. Forty-six thousand tons of steel, and it's just… gone. All those people... Edward…" I whispered, the image of the rigid corpses fresh in my mind. The image of Edward, face down in the water…

A shudder ran through me, and it wasn't from the cold. I couldn't even feel the frigid wind against my skin. My mind was numb, and that numbness blocked out all of my senses. "Please, Bella, get a blanket or a coat or something. You'll freeze!"

I ignored her. "Three days ago, I met a man."

"What?" she asked, confused.

"His name was Edward Cullen."

"Yes, I met him Bella."

I ignored her. "This morning, I realized that I loved him. This morning, he and who knows how many others drowned or froze to death in twenty eight degree waters. I think I can live with a bit of chilly wind."

"I'm sorry, Bella, but did you just say that you loved the man you met three days ago?"

"With all my heart, and I'll never have the chance to tell him." I turned to Angela and put my hand on her shoulder. "Hold on to Ben, Ang. You'll never know how much he means to you until he's gone. I never could've imagined how much Edward meant to me until I left him at that gate."

I turned from Angela and knelt beside Sarah. "Sarah, come on," I urged the sleeping girl as I lifted her into my arms. I left my sister on the bow of the Carpathia as I made my way to the middle of the ship, where most of the survivors continued to linger. I'd seen Esme Cullen come aboard from my spot on the bow and I hoped to find her.

After only moments of searching I found her standing with Alice, Emmett, and Carlisle near a railing. "Mr. and Mrs. Cullen," I said quietly. "Emmett, Alice."

"Sarah!" Alice gasped, rushing towards us. "Oh, Bella!" she threw her arms around my neck and sobbed into Sarah's hair. "Wherever did you find her?"

I wrapped an arm around her tentatively, patting her back. "James tried to use the poor thing to get into a lifeboat. I took his spot and took her with me."

"Thank you so much, Bella. I can never, ever say thank you enough. I know why he loved you so much," she whispered.

"Oh, Alice. I knew him only a few days, but there'll never be another man for me."

"You would've been the perfect sister!"

"Really, Alice, is that all you can think about?" Emmett snapped at her. "Don't you get it? More than half our family is gone! Rosie, Edward, Jasper! Charlie and Catherine? They aren't coming back!"

She whirled away from me and her hand met his cheek. "Don't you think I know that? I love him! I love them! What do you think it's done to me? Not knowing what it was that killed them? Were they crushed by a funnel? Did they drown, freeze? Were they trapped in the damned, stupid ship? Was it quick, or did they suffer? Did Jasper die trying to help the others? Did he have Charlie with him? Did he even have the damned chance to save himself?"

Before Emmett could retort there was a rush of activity around us. I turned around, trying to catch a glimpse of whatever it was that had caught the attention of nearly the entire ship. Everybody on deck was turned to the west, and I almost expected to see the Titanic once more, with every soul that hadn't made it off alive looking back at us.

But all that stood in front of me was the vast expanse of ocean, littered with the glittering mountains of ice. I felt as though I would be sick, standing there watching the field of glass before me. One of those bergs had caused the downfall of an unsinkable ship. One of them had taken my boy's life. "If you'll excuse me, please. I'm so sorry about the others."

I pushed through the bodies blocking my way as I rushed to find a less crowded space, somewhere I could breathe. I found a set of steps and clutched the rail as I began to retch. My stomache was empty, though, and nothing came out.

Looking up, I found that the steps led to the bridge. I was apprehensive at first to go up, but there was little chance that anyone would tell me to go back, considering all that was happening. I put my bare foot onto the first stair, and just as I started the small trek up I finally heard what everyone was so excited about.

"It's another lifeboat! There's one more!"


	2. Wednesday April 10th, 1912

**Cabin E-37, according to http://www(dot)euronet(dot)nl/users/keesree/, which has always been accurate in the past, as far as I know, was either non-existent or unoccupied, and I'm pretty sure it exsisted. Either way, no passengers were recorded as occupying it, which is why I'm using it here. I in no way wish to disrespect those that traveled/died on Titanic or their families.**

**Jay Bruce Ismay occupied three of the four parlor suites, Cabin B-52, B-54, and B-56, but for this we're going to pretend that B-52 and 54 were unoccupied on the actual trip. And we're also going to pretend they each have three bedrooms, rather than two, okay?**

**Now, I have a question; was the Grand Staircase strictly for first class? I've contradicted myself so many times... and I know I should know this, and I'm sure I did at one point, but I need someone to clarify this for me. Thanks!**

* * *

Wednesday April 10, 1912

The café was miniscule, smoky, and raucous. A cacophony of various noises filled my head; laughter, the clanking of cutlery as it came into contact with china, and the ding of a bell whenever an order was ready. The room was filled with men and women not yet ready to say goodbye to Southampton.

A select few of the patrons just weren't ready to go back to their homes, but most of us just weren't ready to say goodbye to ours.

I sat with my sister, Angela, in one corner of the dark room. We shared a plate of fried potatoes and choked on the air, thickened with the scent of cigars, as we waited until the last moment to board the ocean liner that would take us to a new life.

Angela and I had lived in the suburbs of Southampton for our entire lives. My mother had died during Angela's birth. I was four at the time, and didn't remember her very well. My father had told us stories, but of course they weren't the same as memories.

My father had worked as a police officer, prior to his death the month before. He was struck by an automobile, damned newfangled contraptions, and hit his head against the concrete as he fell. I could walk faster than most of the blasted vehicles, and I sometimes wonder if there was more to his death than that.

Angela and I continued to live at home after he passed, but very shortly the memories became too much to bear.

After a lot of discussion between us, we decided that we would take our chances and start over in America. A clean slate, so to speak, creating new memories and, hopefully, forgetting the hurtful ones.

My sister and I had been raised as respectable middle class women, although I must admit that I didn't hold a particular fondness for dresses, frills, corsets, or petticoats, and I enjoyed the occasional, _okay, the regular_, curse word.

We weren't rich by any means, but we were much better off than most. We packed what we couldn't live without, like family photographs and keepsakes, and gave the rest of our belongings to charity.

We had two tickets for second class on White Star's newest ocean liner, Titanic. Second class held most of the perks of first, and was nearly identical to first on other liners. Not to mention the £18 difference in the cost of a ticket.

I was scared to leave the home I'd known for so long, but I was excited about experiencing a new city, and a new country. I was nervous about sailing, but it was said that the ship was unsinkable. That calmed my fears, if only a little.

We would be starting over, completely and thoroughly, once we arrived in New York; we would find an apartment or house in the city, where Angela would be attending her final year of high school and I would hopefully be attending my very first year at university.

I was roused from my musings as a deep blaring sound came from the direction of the harbor. I looked up at the clock on the wall and gasped. It was five till noon. We'd intended on going aboard at eleven thirty, but time had gotten the better of us, or at least me, and the boat was about to leave.

"Shit," I said aloud as I lay a pound on the table. I was positive that the only waitress in the café would not be getting tipped by most of the people in the room, and she deserved to go home with a fair amount for her hard work.

Angela looked up at the clock at my curse and gasped, grabbing her coat, as she jumped up. We grabbed our belongings and rushed out the door with several others._Glad to know time gets the best of everybody.  
_

Our group reached the gangplank just before it was raised; the workers hastily checked our tickets, checked us in, got us our room keys, collected our trunks, and hurried us up the ramp.

I grabbed Angela's hand and weaved through the dense crowd, leading her towards the stern where we found a small space by the railing to squeeze into and wave at the men, women, and children below on the docks. Choruses of _au revoir's_, _goodbyes_, and even a few _Auf Wiedersehen's _were shouted from both the deck and the ground.

Finally, as the horns blared, we were pulled away from the dock and into the channel by tugboats. As the dock grew smaller, and the people began to disappear, many of our fellow passengers drifted away from the railings, making their ways inside to find their cabins and staterooms. As the deck cleared considerably Angela and I left the stern and walked the length of the ship to the bow.

I put my elbow on the rail and leaned my chin on my hand, gazing down at the water displaced by the ship and tugboats. "Isn't it gorgeous?" I asked dreamily.

"Well, er... not particularly," Angela replied. "The water is practically brown. That doesn't exactly spell beautiful, at least not in _my_ book."

"I didn't mean the _water_, Angie. I meant everything! The sky, the ocean, the city behind us, even the technology! It all makes up this little sliver of the world, and that in it self is amazing. Think of Titanic, but imagine it being fifty, or even thirty years ago. Who would've thought something like this was even possible?"

"Not I. But then again, I wasn't born thirty or fifty years ago."

"That's why I said _imagine_, Angela. No matter, though. It's not like it really makes a difference," I said with a small grin tugging at my lips.

"No, I suppose it doesn't."

I turned my head to smile at her, but something moving in the corner of my eye gained my attention. "Oh my Lord," I gasped as I watched the final restraints of another steamer break, sending the ship swinging towards us.

"Dear God," Angela gasped, clutching my hand as we stepped back from the rails, watching as the ship came closer and closer. "Are we going to die?"

"I don't think so, but injury seems to be a serious possibility." The ship was clearly smaller than Titanic, but we were turning much too slowly to avoid colliding with the oncoming threat.

"Why don't they turn faster?" Angela ground out in alarm as the ships came closer and closer together.

"Hell if I know. I do hope they'll get on with it, though."

"Bella, watch your tongue!"

"You're younger, you're not allowed to scold me," I whispered as I tugged her back a step further. The logical thing would've been to get as far away from the impact area as possible, but it was almost like watching a building burn. All logical thought flies out the window and you can't help but to stare.

Just when it seemed as though a crash was imminent, Titanic swung around the other ship. New York was proudly boasted on her side and stern.

We each let out a sigh of relief as Titanic came to a stop and workers hurried to get New York re-secured to her dock. "That's got to be a sign, right? We're headed to New York, and New York almost crushed our bow? Surely that's a bad thing..."

"Well of course it's bad thing. What good would come of the bow being crushed?"

"None, but that's not what I meant! It _must_ be a sign. Perhaps we should get off in Cherbourg? Perhaps our father is trying to tell us something? Even our mother? Bella, what if something is going to happen to Titanic? What if we sink while there's nobody out there to help?" she spouted off frantically.

"Angela, calm down! Stop, just stop it. You're going to hyperventilate if you don't calm down. Nothing will happen, you know what they say about Titanic. She's unsinkable! Everything will go fine, and in five days time we'll be in America."

She took a deep breath and nodded her head. "I'm sorry. Sorry. I'm scared, though, Bella. She may be said to be unsinkable, but really? Should we collide with another ship, how can it be guaranteed that she'll stay afloat? Eventually the water will become too heavy inside, and it'll pull her under. It's really impossible for it to be impossible, don't you think?"

"No, Angela, I don't. I believe that the designers and builders knew what they were doing. I also believe that nothing will go wrong. Just focus on America, Angela. Focus on finishing high school. Focus on university next year. Focus on the good and the definite, and don't dwell on the bad and the what-ifs."

"Focus on the good, don't dwell on the bad," she repeated softly to herself. "You're right, of course. Think of America. You did remember the papers, didn't you?"

"They're in one of our trunks. How could I forget them?"

"Do you think they'll be in our room by now?" she mused.

"Why don't you go and see? It looks as though we'll be stuck here for a little while, and I think I'll stay out a bit longer."

"I'll need the key. Where's our cabin?"

"E-37," I replied as I handed her one of the room keys. "Don't get lost, all right?" I said jokingly.

"I won't," she huffed as she took the key in her hand and disappeared.

Leaning up against the rails once more, I tilted my face towards the sun and smiled. I was going to miss the English sunshine. _I wonder if the sun'll be the same in America?_

_Of course it will, you nitwit. The entire world revolves around the same sun._

After nearly an hour of basking in the sunshine and shivering in the slight breeze, we began to move again, making our way down the English Channel and into the ocean. I was getting ready to go inside and explore when I felt a small body crash into the back of my legs.

"Uh-oh. I'm sorry, ma'am," a little girl with an American accent said from where she'd fallen to the deck. She had bright blue eyes, raven colored hair, and the cutest smile I'd ever seen.

"That's quite all right, little miss. Are you okay?" I asked as I helped her up.

"Yeah, but now _Uncle_ _James_," she made a disgusted face as she said his name, "is going to be angry with me," she said quietly as she inspected the back of her dress. "There's a hole in my dress."

I looked at her back. "Oh, I don't think it's so bad. It's not even that big, you see?" I said, showing her that I couldn't even fit my index finger through the hole in the silk. "If you don't point it out to him, maybe he won't even notice," I whispered conspiratorially.

"But my mother will, and she's gonna be heapin' mad!"

"I don't know what to tell you about that one, little miss. Maybe you can put a different dress on before you see her?"

"Maybe," she said distractedly, staring out at the water. "You're from England, aren't you? You talk like they do here."

"I am, but I'm moving to New York with my sister."

"I live in New York. It's wonderful," she sighed in a dreamy voice, staring at the water once more. "Hey, we're matching!" she said loudly, snapping her attention back to me.

"So we are," I agreed as she took my hand and spun us in a circle, her short blue silk dress swirling around her as my long cotton one swirled around me. She giggled as she held my arm out and twirled under it.

As she spun and laughed a man with a toddler on his hip walked over to us and cleared his throat. "Who's your friend, Sarah?" he asked, anger evident in his icy tone.

"Oh, I'm sorry! I don't know your name!"

"I'm Bella. It's very nice to meet you, Sarah."

"You, too, Bella." The man cleared his throat again. "Um, what I meant to say was, and you as well. It was very nice to make your acquaintance, Miss Bella."

"It was very nice to make your acquaintance as well, Miss Sarah. I do hope our paths will cross again," I said, trying to keep up with the formality her Uncle wanted her to use.

She sulked to her uncle's side, waving at me as she went. "Goodbye Miss Bella, see you later!"

"Goodbye, Sarah."

As they walked away he grabbed her hand and growled, "What have you done to your dress, Sarah? Your mother will have a tizzy!"

"Good, maybe then she'll get rid of you!" she growled back as she yanked her hand from his.

"Respect your elders, Sarah," he warned.

"I do respect my elders," she snapped. "But I _don't_ respect _you_. Uncle Emmett says I don't have to."

"Well Uncle Emmett isn't here right now." He yanked her her hand back and dragged her away. _Poor girl. Why would her mother leave her and her brother with such a monster?_

I leaned my back against the railing, watching them disappear. I stared at the door they'd used to go inside; the first class entrance. I would probably not be seeing very much of Sarah. Except for when she was out on the main decks, she would most likely be in the first class areas with her family and people with the same social status as she.

I'm not sure why this disappointed me, but it did. At the time, I had no idea how strong a connection I'd have with this little girl and her family.

**Edward Cullen**

"That hurts! Let, me, go! Please!" I could hear the struggle from the hallway through our suite's door. Poking my head out, I saw that bastard James practically dragging Sarah down the narrow corridor.

"James, what the hell are you doing?" I demanded. "I could hear her through the door, so I _know _you hear her saying that she's being hurt."

"Oh, please, Edward. She's full of it. I'm barely even touching the child."

"Let her go," I commanded in a deadly quiet voice. He released her arm and she ran to me. I lifted her and took her arm gently in my hand. She had scratch marks and a small bruised area already showing up. "Barely even touching her? Really? It looks to me as though it was quite a bit more forceful than that."

"He's mad because I accidently tore my dress," she said quietly. "I didn't mean to though, and Miss Bella said it wasn't really big, and that if I changed before Mommy saw it, it might be okay. But James said she would have a tizzy if she knew. I don't want Mommy to have a tizzy," she told me sadly. "I don't even know what a tizzy is. Will you kiss it, Uncle Edward?"

She held her arm in front of my face and I kissed the scratches and the bruises. "All better?"

"Yes." She laid her head on my shoulder and closed her eyes.

"Say thank you, Sarah," James ordered.

"I don't have to listen to you," she teased tiredly. "Uncle Emmett said so." She leaned closer to my ear. "But thank you, Uncle Edward."

"You're welcome, Sweetheart." I turned to James. "You've got a lot of nerve, telling her what to do after what you just did, and you've got a lot of nerve telling her what to do in front of me. Alice _will _hear about this. Give me Charlie and get the hell out of my sight."

He put the toddler down and glared at me. "It's Charles," he growled.

"Oh my lord, you can't tell me what to call my family members. I will call my nephew as he wishes, and you will leave." I took Charlie's hand and brought him and Sarah inside.

Sarah had fallen asleep, so I set her down on the bed in my room. "Watch your sister for me, will you Charlie?"

"Otay, Unc Edwah." I sat him on the bed next to her and he watched her like his life depended on it. I left them in my room and left our suite, going out into the corridor and knocking on the door to the other suite my family was occupying.

Alice threw the door open. 'What's up, brother dear?"

"What the hell were you thinking, hiring that God awful scumbag to watch the kids?" I demanded.

"I was thinking that he's a poor man that just wanted to get across the Atlantic, and that he could keep the kids entertained."

"Entertained, huh? He's forcing Sarah to speak formally to everyone she speaks to. He had the nerve to tell me that Charlie's name was Charles, and he left Sarah's arm scratched and bruised, and he left her in tears."

"Oh, please. I'm sure you're just overreacting. I asked him to make sure that they were polite, that's all."

"Yes, well he's taken that to the extreme!"

"What the fuck are you talking about?"

"Such language coming from a lady!"

"Edward, I don't give a damn about my language. This is 1912, the world is changing... sort of. Now be quiet and tell me what you mean!"

I grabbed her arm and dragged her back to my room. "She tore a hole in her dress and was worried that you'd be mad. _James,_" I spat his name in disgust,_ "_grabbed her arm and dragged her all the way back here, and implied that the marks were no big deal."

"What marks? I thought you were overreacting! Edward, what happened?!" I dropped her arm when we got to the bed and gently picked up Sarah's arm, showing her mother the scratches and bruise. She gasped. "You're sure he did that? It didn't happen when she tore her dress?"

"Positive," I assured her. "That man screams evil. I don't want him near the kids."

"Well I have to pay him to do something," she sighed.

"The hell you do! You bought him a first class ticket to the states and he hurt your daughter. He doesn't need anything else."

"No, the agreement was that I'd give him five hundred, as well, for watching the children."

"Pay him to stay away, then. I'll watch them while you and Jasper are otherwise... ahem... _engaged_."

"Oh Edward, I couldn't possibly ask you to do that. You should go for a stroll, or to the smoking room, or the library, or even the dances they hold in the evenings. This was your vacation, too."

"Alice, vacation's over. Besides, I won't go to a dance just to have the single women, and the married ones, at that, throwing themselves at me. They have no shame."

"Aren't you lonely, Edward? You should go, try to meet a nice lady. You need a nice lady, Edward."

"I don't _need_ anybody. Perhaps I'd _like_ a wife, but I don't need one, and I won't marry just because that's what you, or society, for that matter, deem necessary. And I will not just settle. I'll wait for somebody that I truly love, thank you very much."

"And what if you never find her?"

"Well then, I suppose I'll grow old alone," I answered with a grimace. "But, as I said a moment ago, I won't marry just because it's what I should do. I don't care if that's what our society wants from me, or what you want from me. I won't do it."

"You think I give a damn about society? I wouldn't have married Jasper if I did. You know as well as I do that society would never have allowed our marriage fifty years ago. They're still iffy about it now, but I don't care. He didn't have the money most people need to earn their _so called_ love, and he earned mine nonetheless. He just needed to be himself, and that's what he did," she sighed. "Whatever you do, just be yourself. And make sure she's being herself, too. I just want you to be happy."

"I am happy, Alice. Thank you, though. I really do appreciate your concerns... almost. And I wouldn't be happy if I didn't love my wife. You know that."

"I'm just looking out for you, Edward. You looked out for me my whole life, and now you're looking out for my kids. You need somebody to look out for you, and until you find her, it's my job." She gave me a hug, then turned to look at Sarah. "I'm going to find Carlisle, I want him to look at her arm."

I sat down next to Sarah and rested my head in my hands. Of course I wanted a wife. That was everyone's goal in life, besides being successful. But nobody seemed to understand that I wouldn't tolerate an arranged marriage. Who wanted to be forced to spend the rest of their life with a potentially horrible woman?

Emmett and Rosie had been lucky in theirs. Rosie's parents had died in a fire, and seeing as she was only seventeen at the time she couldn't access their accounts, leaving her dirt poor. Her bastard uncle was going to sell her into marriage with a God awful crook, but Esme had been friends with Rosie's mother and arranged to have her marry my brother. They couldn't stand each other at first, but they soon became the best thing to have happened to the other.

And while arranged marriages didn't happen nearly as often as they used to, high society expected its members to be married and popping out babies by the time they're twenty three. When that didn't happen, people were often pressured into allowing a wife to be chosen for them. I would not let that happen to me; I was already twenty four and doing just fine on my own.

I rubbed my eyes tiredly and looked at Sarah, snoring lightly, her cheeks still slightly damp. How could anybody just blatantly hurt a child like that? How could anybody intentionally hurt an innocent little girl? I just didn't understand it. Did he think he would get away with it? Did he think we wouldn't be angry? Because I was infuriated.

I didn't have time to work myself up again, as Alice was coming back with Carlisle. "Sorry it took so long, he was in the smoking room."

"Alice, you were gone barely five minutes. It was a lot quicker than it should've been. And she's fine, look."

She pouted as she looked at Sarah's sleeping face, her lips parted slightly and her cheeks glistening with the tears still resting there. "But she's broken," she sighed.

"She's not broken, Alice," Carlisle assured her as he picked up her arm, examining it gently. "She'll be fine, I just want to get the cuts clean. I'll be right back." He left my room and was back in less than a minute, a glass of some solution in one hand and a washcloth in the other.

"What is that?" Alice demanded.

"Relax, Alice," Carlisle said, exasperated. "It's just soap and water. They aren't deep enough to need anything stronger... she isn't even bleeding."

"But who knows what he has under his fingernails!" She gasped. "Their could be dirt in there, or snot, or what if there's.... oh God." Her face became a mask of horror. "Clean it, Dad!" We didn't dare call him Carlisle to his face.

"No, Alice, I think I'll sit here and drink it," he snapped as he dipped the cloth in the glass and then gently rubbed it over Sarah's arm. She muttered under her breath but didn't wake, and as soon as Carlisle was done cleaning it she rolled over and started to snore. "She'll be fine." He stood up, patted Alice's shoulder, and was gone.

"What the hell was that?" she muttered. "Patting my shoulder? What am I, one of his colleagues? I don't think so. Why does he treat me like that?"

"That's just who he is, Alice. He's old fashioned. He doesn't agree with our choices and because of that, he doesn't treat us like his children."

"I miss him," she sighed. "I miss how he used to be. Why does he have to be Carlisle? Why can't he actually be Dad again? What happened?"

"Jasper happened. My refusal at marriage happened. New technology and ideas happened. He doesn't like change, you know that."

"Well maybe he should learn to be more agreeable."

"Maybe we should learn to accept who he is."

"I won't," she argued.

"As you wish. I can't force you to do anything, and I don't really want to."

"Good, because you wouldn't win. Are you sure you don't mind staying with the kids?"

"Yes, we're fine. Go enjoy the rest of your vacation while you can. If they're awake, we'll meet you for dinner in a bit."

"Thank you, Edward," she said as she left to go back to her room. My parents, Sarah and Charles, and I shared one suit, while Rosalie and Emmett, their daughter Catherine, and Alice and Jasper shared the other. We couldn't keep the kids all in one room because Catherine often had nightmares, and she would wake the other two up when they were together.

Charlie had fallen asleep, so I left the kids on the bed and lay on the couch, falling asleep within minutes.

When I woke up it was dark outside, Charlie wasn't in sight, and Sarah was sitting at the desk, drawing in her sketchpad. I sat up, rubbing my eyes, and looked over to see what Sarah was drawing. "Whatcha got there, kid?"

"We stopped a little while ago. Papa said it was Cherbourg. I'm drawing the Eiffel Tower."

"You know that's in Paris, right?"

"Yes, but it's still France."

I looked over her shoulder. "That's very good," I commented.

"Thank you," she replied. "I like to draw. It's the only thing I'm good at."

"What do you mean by that? You're good at a lot of things."

"No I'm not. I'm always tearing my clothes, and I don't talk the right way, and I'm not polite enough. I don't do anything right."

"What makes you say that?" I asked incredulously.

She turned to me and rolled her eyes. "Who do you think?"

I knelt beside her chair and put my arm around her shoulders. "Don't you listen to him, Sarah. Nothing he says matters. He was wrong to say what he said to you, and he was wrong to hurt you. Nobody should be treated like you were," I told her as I pulled her from the chair and onto my lap. "You're what's important, not him."

She buried her face in my shirt and started to cry. "He said I'm illiterate. What does that mean? And he said I'm nice like I should be. And he never lets Charlie walk by himself, and he gets mad when I call him Charlie. He makes me call him my uncle. He's not my uncle, and I don't want him to be my uncle. Uncle Emmett said I don't have to listen to him, but he said it didn't matter cause Uncle Emmett wasn't there. I don't wanna go with him anymore," she sobbed.

I rubbed her back, attempting to sooth her. "No sweetheart, you don't have to go with him anymore. You and your brother are going to be around me for most of the rest of the trip. Speaking of your brother, where is he?"

"He's at dinner. I wasn't hungry, so Mommy took him and let me stay here with you. Can we go for a walk? A real walk, where we don't have to walk slow?"

"Sure we can. But first, I think we need warmer clothing."

"Kay," she sighed, wiping her eyes and getting off my lap. I went to my room and put on an overcoat, and when I came back Sarah was in one of her night gowns with a heavy coat over it. "This good?" she asked.

"Perfect. Let's go." We left the room hand in hand and made our way to the main boat deck. Once outside, Sarah pulled her coat as tightly around her as she could with one hand and skipped along, holding onto the railing with the other.

"People can die if they breathe the water, right?" she asked me about halfway down the deck.

"Yes, it's called drowning."

"Can the ship drown?"

"Well, the ship doesn't breathe, so no. I suppose it could sink if it was hit hard enough, but the builders claim that it's unsinkable."

"That's silly. If it floats in the water then it can sink in the water, right?"

"Well, technically yes. But Titanic is supposed to be very safe. There are water tight doors, so even if there were a hole in the hull, the water would stop."

"It doesn't matter how safe it is if there's a hole in it. The water will come in through the hole and get too heavy, right? Then the ship would go under water. Doors can't stop the water."

"Well they're big metal doors, not just like the ones to our rooms."

"Still, water could get past the cracks underneath and above, right?"

"I don't know, Sarah. Maybe, but you don't need to worry about that. Nothing will happen."

"How can you be so sure?" she asked worriedly. "Mommy always says that nothing is impossible."

"Mommy is right, but it isn't likely that anything will go wrong."

"Promise?"

"Yes, Sarah, I promise."

She left it alone after that. When we reached the end of the deck we turned, ready to go back, but muffled arguing caught my attention. It came from behind a stairwell door. "Stay there, Sarah." I sat her on a chair and pushed the door open slightly.

"Let go of me, you wretched bastard!"

"Careful there, pretty miss. You wouldn't want anything to happen to that pretty little face of yours now, would you?"

"Fuck you," the woman spat. _With that mouth she'd get along great with Alice._

"That's what the goal is, my sweet. Come on!"

"No, let go of me!" she screeched with force, and a moment later the man grunted. I pushed the door open all the way and found James keeled over, clutching his stomach in one hand and the woman's hand in the other. "You're lucky I have terrible aim, or you'd be much worse off," she seethed.

I slammed the door shut and the woman jumped, her eyes snapping to mine. I tore my gaze away from her and glared at James. "What is wrong with you?" I yelled at him. "In what way is it okay to do these things?"

"Oh, I'm not the first," she growled. "Earlier today he hurt a little girl!"

"Trust me, I know," I brushed it off. "Give me one good reason as to why I shouldn't have you arrested!"

"She doesn't belong up here, it's the first class deck. She snuck up from second class."

"Who cares? You belong in the cargo hold!"

"How dare you? I belong here just as much as you do."

"You are the epitome of filth and vulgarity. You belong nowhere near me, or anyone else on this ship." He lunged at me and that's when I realized he reaked of whiskey. I shoved him into the wall and motioned for the woman to open the door and go out, but she wasn't quick enough. As soon as the door was open he shoved me backwards and we crashed into her. The three of us went down, James on top of me and me on top of the woman.

I shoved James off and he stood up, brushed himself off, and smirked at me as I stood to help the woman up. She accepted my hand gratefully but was incredibly unsteady on her feet. "Seriously, stay away from us," I directed at James.

"Yeah, nobody likes you, and you stink!" Sarah added. The woman giggled as James glared and Sarah smiled angelically. As soon as he was gone I really looked at her face, and she was beautiful.

"Bella!" Sarah gasped in recognition. "Hi!"

Bella. _Beautiful Bella._

* * *

I decided to add the kids in about halfway through this chapter, so I've gone back and added them into the prologue. Nothing changed, though, other than adding their names in.

Thanks to everyone that's put this on alerts, favorites, or reviewed so far. It means a lot to me!


	3. April 10th Evening

Wednesday April 10, 1912 - Evening

After checking over both of my shoulders, completely unsuspiciously, of course, I shoved the door open and darted into the stairwell. I crept up the few levels that would take me to the boat deck, breathing a sigh of relief when I made it to the door undetected.

Unfortunately, I didn't notice a shadow creeping towards me until it grabbed my shoulder. "Ah!" I shrieked. "Let go of me, you wretched bastard!" _Oh, damn it all to Hell. I need to remember to think before I speak._

"Careful there, pretty miss. You wouldn't want anything to happen to that pretty little face of yours now, would you?" _I know that voice..._

"Fuck you," I spat in his face, hoping to get a little something in his eye.

"That's what the goal is, my sweet," he breathed in my face, reeking of whiskey. "Come on!"

"No, let go of me!" I screeched, kicking at his crotch. He doubled over, clutching at his stomach and loosening his hold on me. "You're lucky I have terrible aim, or you'd be much worse off," I seethed, pulling out of his grasp as the door slammed shut.

I jumped, snapping my eyes to a tall, incredibly fantastic looking man. He stared at me a moment, numerous emotions flashing across his face, before he tore his gaze from mine and glared at James. "What is wrong with you?" he yelled. "In what way is it okay to do these things?"

"Oh, I'm not the first," I growled. "Earlier today he hurt a little girl!" I shouted indignantly.

"Trust me, I know," he brushed it off. "Give me one good reason as to why I shouldn't have you arrested!"

"She doesn't belong up here, it's the first class deck. She snuck up from second class." _Oh, damn it all to hell._

"Who cares?" he snarled angrily. "You belong in the cargo hold!" _You've got that right._

"How dare you? I belong here just as much as you do."

"You are the epitome of filth and vulgarity. You belong nowhere near me, or anyone else on this ship." James lunged at the other man, who shoved him into the wall and motioned for me to run. As soon as the door was open I was thrown down, the two of them crushing me. I felt the weight of one of them lift, then then other, and suddenly the handsome stranger was towering over me, offering his hand. I accepted it hand gratefully, pulling myself up and wobbling on my feet.

"Seriously, stay away from us," he directed at James, who simply smirked in return, making me wonder whether the two knew each other and how.

"Yeah, nobody likes you, and you stink!" _I recognize that voice, too..._ I turned away from the stairwell entrance and found Sarah standing next to it, glaring at James before looking at me. "Bella!" she gasped. "Hi!"

"Hello, little miss!" I said cheerfully, silently aware of my savior coming closer.

"What are you doing here?" she gasped. "My _not_-uncle James said that we weren't sposed to be on the same part of the boat, cause we aren't in the same socal sythtem, but I don't even know what that means, and it made me think I'd never see you again, but I'm glad I'm wrong. What are you doing here?"

"You're quite the little spastic, no?" I giggled. "My sister has disappeared, so I'm off on my own little adventure."

"Really?" she breathed, eyes wide. "Can I come with you?"

"I don't know... there are a few requirements," I whispered conspiratorially, once more eying the man she was with. I mean really, I'd _never _seen someone so beautiful. He was really and truly completely gorgeous.

"What are they?"

"Well first, you have to ask your friend there," I tilted my head towards the man, strangely worried that he'd be angry with me for not staying in my _proper place_. He was a rich man, after all. "And if he says yes, then we have to be extra quiet."

"Why?"

"Because we can't get caught, silly!"

"Well technically," the man said, "if you're with us you don't need to worry about getting caught." I breathed a sigh of relief. _Oh thank you for not being cruel. _Of course, how could someone as handsome and chivalrous as he be cruel?

"Oh goody," Sarah squealed. "That means we can be loud!"

"Sarah," the man scolded lightly, hiding a smile.

"I mean, we can at least talk normal. And we can even have a race if we want to!"

"A race, eh? I don't know... there are still a few people outside..." three of which seemed to be glaring at me. "We wouldn't want to run them over, would we?"

"Well that depends on whether they're like James or not," the man joked. Maybe he'd introduce himself soon, calling him 'the man' was getting old.

"Uncle Edward, that's _not_ very nice," Sarah scolded, giving me my answer.

"Well in _that_ case," I waited a moment, watching the eagerness return to the young girl's face, "go!" Sarah and I began at the same time, though I slowed my pace significantly to let her get ahead. Halfway down the deck the wind whipped the ribbon right out of her hair. I caught it as it floated back towards me, but unfortunately I didn't look ahead again soon enough; Sarah stopped for her ribbon and I crashed into her, causing the both of us to tumble to the ground.

"Oh, _shit_! Are you alright?" I asked frantically.

"Yes, but now there's a hole in my nightdress," she huffed, poking her little finger through it and pouting.

"Well this time, you can tell your mother that it was all my fault," I giggled.

"I got bad luck with this boat and my clothes," she sighed.

I looked up, looking for Edward but instead seeing those same three woman, glaring at me again. Before I could make some snobby remark about keeping their noses in their own business, Edward caught up to us. He made a huge fuss over Sarah and me, making sure we were both okay and assuring Sarah that her mother would not have a tizzy when she saw the hole in her nightdress.

After that, even though I'd nearly mauled his niece, he sat down on the floor with us. Sarah sat between the two of us, pointing out the constellations that she knew. I knew them as well, though I pretended to be intrigued when she named each one.

At some point during the night Sarah fell asleep, sprawled across our laps. "I'd better bring her to bed," Edward said quietly, lifting her, and himself, in one fluid motion. "Thank you for putting up with her."

"She's no trouble whatsoever. Thank you for allowing me the opportunity to put up with her."

"Why wouldn't I?" he asked, clearly shocked.

"Well for all you know I could be a murderer. That, and I'm not supposed to be here... You could've easily had me sent back to the second class area, but you were gracious enough not to. So I thank you for that, as well."

"You weren't hurting anybody by being here, and besides that, Sarah adores you!" Something made me feel like he wasn't telling me eveything he was really thinking. "Back in our suite you were all she could talk about. _'Bella did this, and she said that. She said this would happen or that wouldn't, and that it'd be okay if I did this. She was soooo nice.'_"

As he praised me, or at least imitated his nieces praise, I felt the blood begin to pool in my cheeks, heating them in the frigid night air. Giving an involuntary shudder, I sighed. "You should go ahead and get her inside. It's freezing out here."

"You should go in, as well," he noted my shivering.

"I'm right behind you," I replied quietly.

He nodded reluctantly. "Well then, goodnight Isabella." He kissed my cheek and began walking away.

I placed my palm over the spot, burning with the imprint of his lips. I'm sure I looked quite the fool. "Edward!" I called before he could get too far. He turned, looking at me with almost sad eyes.

"Yeah?"

"Thank you for saving me."

He smiled softly, a crooked little grin. "It was my pleasure, Bella." With that he left me standing on the windy promenade, still holding my hand to my cheek, still looking like an idiot...

"You don't stand a chance."

"Excuse me?" I asked, snapping out of my stupor, turning to face the source of the voice.

"I said, _you don't stand a chance_. What are you, deaf?" It was one of the woman that had been glaring at me earlier.

"I'm sure I don't know what you're talking about."

"Which part?" she asked dumbly.

"Well it's rather obvious I'm not deaf, making it rather obvious that I'm referring to the first part. What are you, stupid?"

"Oh, you're just like the rest of them!" the blond woman whined.

"The rest of what?"

"You're just like all the other peasants!"

"I'm not a peasant. You may have more money than I, but I'm not poor, and I'm not in poverty."

"Oh yeah? Then why did you sneak up from your hole and mess with my man?"

"First of all, I sleep in a state room, just as you do. It's only slightly less extravagant than yours." Maybe slightly was a bit of an understatement. "Second of all, I don't even know that mans last name. He helped me out and I played with his niece for a bit. That's all. And third of all, my state of wealth and _your man_ have nothing to do with each other."

"You just want his money."

"I have my own money, thank you very much. I don't need a man to take care of me. Now if you'll excuse me, I really should go back inside."

"You're just going to hide. Well fine, but make sure you stay away from him. We're getting married some day, and I don't need a little girl acting the part of the damsel to distract him from me."

"Well if someone like me can distract him from someone like you, you can't be all that interesting."

"You little wench!"

"Yep, that's me. Isabella the whore. Good evening, you royal pain in the ass."

"Bitch," she retaliated. "Stay where you belong."

"I'll think about it," I replied cheerfully, turning my back on the woman.


	4. Thursday April 11th, 1912

I stumbled back to our stateroom, cold and exhausted, just past one in the morning. Angela sat upon her bed, red-cheeked and wide-eyed, breathing heavily and holding her hand to her lips.

"What's gotten you so riled?" I asked.

"A boy," she giggled.

"You met a boy?" I smiled at her. "Tell me about him, child!"

"I'm no child," she scowled at me.

"Oh for all that's good in the world, just tell me!"

"If you insist," she replied, ready to burst. "His name is Benjamin. He's Irish, with the cutest dimple and the _strangest _accent. It isn't like any other I've heard, though he insists he's lived in Dublin all his life. He's taking his sister, Brianna, away from their farm; he says that his good-for-nothing father's tried to sell her into marriage with a pompous, arrogant ass. She's the sweetest little thing, only _fifteen_! Oh, and she's got the worst luck and the worst coordination, even worse than yours!

"I've just spent the evening in steerage with them. They sure do know how to throw a party down there."

"Do you love him?" I joked, thrilled that my sister had finally let her guard down and gone out with a man. Well, she hadn't gone out, but as much as she could've on a ship.

"I doubt it," she replied. "He's incredible Bella, but it's only been a day. Who knows if I'll even see him again after we disembark? I'm just going to enjoy it while it lasts."

"Well gee, you're awfully optimistic. And I'm glad that you weren't lonely."

"Nope," she said cheerfully. "But I tried to find you before I went down with him. Where were you?"

"Remember the little girl that I knocked over earlier today?"

"Sarah? The little spitfire?"

"Yes, Sarah the little spitfire. Though not in the traditional way, mind you. She's just hyperactive."

"Not important," she muttered waving her hand. "Just get on with the story."

"Well, some drunken bastard caught me sneaking up to the main deck, and when he tried to drag me to his cabin, or a lovely little storage closet, Sarah's uncle acted the part of the fairytale knight. It was rather embarrassing, actually, but he was so kind about the whole thing. Afterwards, the three of us sat on the ground and just sort of talked while watching the stars."

"Do you love him?" She threw my words back at me, smirking.

"Of course not! I don't even know his last name. Plus some woman came up to me after he'd left and apparently she's his fiancée. I don't understand it, though... he was so kind, and she was so... not."

"You said he helped you on the main deck, no? They're first class. High society. They don't necessarily marry for love."

"Well, neither do we, Angela. You just told me that your boyfriend's sister was practically sold into marriage. That's like slavery!"

"That's like the world," she retaliated. "That's just how it is."

"Well, I don't like it," I muttered, stripping off my dressing gown and slipping on a night dress.

"You don't have to like it, but you can't change it, either."

"I never said I wanted to. I just said I didn't like it, that's all." I climbed into my bed and turned off the lamp. "Goodnight, sis."

"G'night," she mumbled, already under her sheets. I rolled over and drifted off, dreaming of kind, beautiful green eyes.

XxoOoxX

I rose before the sun the next morning, feeling rather sticky and disgusting. It'd been over twenty-four hours since I'd bathed, and I immediately regretted not washing before bed.

Once I was nice and clean, I slid into a green dress, immediately reminding me of a certain someone's eyes. I hoped that luck would be on my side that day, and that I might get to see him again.

"Where are you going?" Angela mumbled in the dark as I threw on a coat.

"I'm gonna go watch the sunrise. Would you like to come?"

"No, thank you. I think I'll sleep. But I want you to come with me tonight, okay?"

"Where?"

"There's going to be another party in steerage," she sighed happily. "Ben's invited me and asked if I'd like to bring you with me. I'd like to bring you with me, okay?"

"I'd love to. What time and where?"

"Meet me back here at six tonight?" she asked as I glanced in the mirror, using my fingers to tame my hair.

"I'll be sure to," I assured her before slipping out the door. Most passengers were still asleep, so I walked up the corridor quietly until I came to the staircase. Checking to make sure nobody was around, I ran up it quickly until I came to the main deck.

The sun was just beginning to peek over the horizon as I walked slowly down the deck, the light wind rustling my hair and ruffling the hem of my dress. I made my way to the bow, dodging ropes and chains and protruding chunks of shaped metal, their uses unknown to me, right up to the pointed tip of the ship.

I clung to the railing, riveted by the beauty of the rising sun, and wondered if I was supposed to be there. Well,_ I_ wasn't supposed to be there, but I wondered if the first class passengers were allowed there or if it was only a matter of time before someone called for me to get away.

As the temperature rose and the wind settled down slightly, I lifted my foot, placing it on the first rail and pulling myself up with a rope nearby. Any worries I may've had, such as the blonde woman, getting caught by a crew member, falling into the ocean, or the party in steerage quickly dissipated, or perhaps they intensified as the sudden gust of wind blew my hair back, reddened my cheeks, and made me feel weightless.

I don't know how long I stood there before I heard footsteps approaching from behind. I tensed, ready for someone to start yelling. It never came, though. Instead, I felt a pair of hands come to rest on my waist. "Do you trust me?" he whispered, his chin resting on my shoulder.

"Of course," I whispered back, relishing in his proximity. _What do you mean, of course? You don't even know his last name!_

"Step up to the next one," he said, helping me up before swinging himself up, resting his feet on either side of mine and wrapping his arms around my waist. "Still trust me?"

"Yes," I whispered, terrified. Only three thin rails, reaching my knee, now protected me from plummeting to the water. And Edward, of course.

"Step up once more," he commanded, helping me up. Only two rails left...

His chin returned to my shoulder, the stubble there tickling my cheek as he leaned in to whisper directly into my ear. "Now close your eyes." _Uhm, what? _I'd been so busy paying attention to not falling that I hadn't looked to see how far from the water we were. Should I fall, I'd have no idea how long the drop would be.

My breathing intensified as I fought the instinct to watch my every move, relaxing into his chest and shutting my eyes. His hands left my waist, skimming across my stomach, up my sides, and down my arms before coming to rest on my hands, desperately clinging to the top rail. "Relax, Bella," he soothed, gently prying my hands away. "Lift your arms."

He guided them away from my body, making me feel like a bird in flight. Pulling me closer to him still, he said, "Now open your eyes and don't look down."

I allowed my eyes to flutter open, thankful to see what I was doing, and gasped. Just a foot higher than I was initially, I couldn't see any of the ship without looking down. It really felt like I was flying. "This is amazing," I whispered in awe.

"Sarah showed me," he admitted. "I thought you might enjoy it, too. Do you?"

"It's incredible! Not to say that I'm not terrified, but my God, it's gorgeous..." And it really was. Clear, orange-laced blue skies, murky water out ahead, the sun's reflection winking at me…

"Wait a minute, " I said, turning my face towards his and smiling wickedly. "How'd you know I was up here?" I asked.

"Oh, uh, well..." he stuttered, "I was on our balcony when you walked by on the deck below. A lady such as yourself shouldn't be alone, so..."

"Well then, thank you for your chivalry, good sir."

He grinned, ready to say something in response, when a man in uniform ran up to us. "Oy, you two," he shouted. "Get down from there!"

Edward clasped my waist gently and lifted me from the railing and back to the floor quicker than I could blink. "Of course, sir," he answered, wrapping my hand in his and tugging me forward. "Sorry." Edward broke into a light jog, pulling me with him gently. Once we were out of sight of the worker man and the bow of the ship he stopped, putting his hands on his knees and breaking into a fit of laughter.

"Edward," I gasped, "It's not funny! He could've had us thrown overboard!"

"Bella, he wouldn't have had us thrown overboard," he chuckled, pulling me into his side. "It's illegal. Not to mention immoral."

"Wouldn'tve stopped me," I grumbled.

He stopped laughing and looked at me seriously. "You are a mystery, Bella," he mumbled to himself, though I heard anyway. He pulled a pocket watch out and checked the time. "How does lunch sound?" he questioned.

"It can't possibly be lunch time already!"

"Nearing eleven thirty." He showed me the watches face to prove it.

"You want to have lunch with me?" I smiled.

"I would _love_ to have lunch with you," he replied, picking my hand up again and kissing my knuckles. "Shall we?"

XxoOoxX

Four and a half hours later and we were still sitting in the first class dining room, just... talking. And I still didn't know his damn last name. Sarah had joined us a couple of hours in, and I had to wonder where her parents were... was it safe for her to just walk around on her own? And how'd she know where we were, anyway?

"Uncle Edward, can I have dessert?" she begged as soon as Edward and I calmed down from the fit of laughter that a particularly large woman had caused when her three sizes too small dress ripped right down the side.

"What would you like, sweetheart?"

"Cake!"

"Cake? What kind of cake?" he asked sweetly, leaning down so that he was level with her.

"Chocolate... with vanilla frost on top." She leaned forward, giving his a nose a kiss, and batted her eyelashes. "Please?"

"You got it, kid," he kissed her nose back, smiling as he called one of the waiters over.

"Can we have a slice of chocolate cake with vanilla _frost_?" he asked, winking at Sarah. "And do you want anything else, Bella?"

I smiled but shook my head. "No, thank you. I'm still full from round one."

"Just the cake then, please," he said.

"Right away, sir." He gave an odd little bow of his head before hurrying off, disappearing through a discreet door in the back.

"Bella, did you see? He bowed to us! Like we were princesses or something!"

"You mean you're not a princess?" I asked, feigning shock.

"No, silly. I'm just Sarah!"

"Your cake, Miss," the waiter returned, setting a gigantic slice of cake and three forks down in front of Sarah.

"Wow!" she gasped. "That was fast!" Her eyes bugged out and her smile widened. "Thank you!" she handed a fork to Edward and another to me before taking her own and digging in.

"Thank you, Miss Sarah," I said graciously, taking a small bite of the cake.

The three of us shared our cake in silence, the occasional _hmmm_s or _yum_s the only sounds coming from our table. That is, until a nasally, makes-me-want-to-stick-a-fork-in-my-eye voice ruined the peace.

"Oh Sarah, there you are!"

"Whatta you want?" Sarah asked suspiciously, eyes narrowed and crumbs tumbling from her mouth.

"Your mother's looking for you." She smiled brightly at Sarah and Edward before her gaze caught mine. If looks could kill, well... I'd be a dead woman.

"Did you run off from Mommy again?" Edward demanded.

"She and Daddy were making the kissy face at each other. I was hungry and they said I could!"

"I'm sorry Bella, I have to get her back to my sister before she has a conniption."

Sarah gasped. "I don't want Mommy to have a conniption!"

"She won't, sweetheart."

"But you just said!"

"I know, but I didn't mean it."

"It's okay," I interrupted before Sarah could continue the argument. "I have a party to get ready for, anyway," I responded, standing up.

He kissed my cheek before leaving a few bills on the table and taking Sarah's hand. "Nice to see you again, Bella," he whispered.

"Yeah," Sarah chimed. "Nice to see you again!" She blew me a kiss as they left.

"I thought I told you to stay away from my fiance," Tanya seethed as soon as they were out of earshot.

"I thought I told you I'd think about it." I grinned innocently. "And Edward is a perfectly capable human being. He asked me to lunch, not the other way around. He came out and found me on the deck this morning, not the other way around. And, seems to me that your fiance isn't all that worried about you. I mean, he didn't even acknowledge you!" I pouted at her.

"Stay. Away. From. Him," she growled.

I thought about it for a moment. "No, I don't think I will. Many thanks for the offer though... I'm sure there's somebody on this ship that would value it. Why don't you go harass _them_?"

"Wench," was her brilliant comeback.

"Whore."

"Bitch."

"Baby," I retaliated. "Go cry to your fiance."

_Dammit Bella, what'd I tell you about holding your tongue? That was so immature._

I left the room before she could say anything more, heading for our cabin to brush my hair and clean my face before Angela dragged me to her boy.


	5. April 11th Evening

**Isabella Swan**

"Are you ready yet?" Angela asked, shutting the cabin door behind her. "It's nearly seven."

"I've been ready since six o'clock, as you requested this morning. Are you ready?" I countered.

"Yes, yes I am. Let's go."

"Really?" I asked, quirking an eyebrow. "You just got in, you haven't even done anything! Don't you want to change or comb your hair? Freshen up at all?"

"Trust me, I'm fine. Come along!" She took my hand and led me from the room, dancing expertly down the corridors and stairwells.

We came to a gated stairwell with a uniformed man guarding it. "Would you please open the gate?" Angela asked sweetly.

"Are you ladies sure you want to go down there? It's not very pleasant. Those folks sleep with the rats," the crewman answered.

"We're sure, thank you. It may not be of the utmost elegance but the people are kind and they sure know how to have a good time," Angela responded. "If you're sure, ma'am. Be sure to holler if you're in trouble, though I can't promise anyone will hear you."

"We'll be just fine, thank you sir," she assured him as he reluctantly opened the gate, allowing us through.

"Are you positive about this, Angela?" I asked, eyeing a drunken man slumped against the wall as the gate slammed shut behind us.

"Oh, that's just Michael. He can't do you any harm. He's rather friendly, actually. At least he is when he's awake."

Currently, he was semi-conscious, staring at me in an unnerving way. I kept my eye on him until he was out of sight.

"Where exactly are we going?" I asked as we left Michael behind and traversed down another flight of stairs.

"Down here, obviously. Ben?" she called as we got to the bottom. "Oh, Benjamin?"

"He's in our room," a child-like voice answered. "Trying to comb down his hair."

We turned and found a little girl smiling at us. Upon closer inspection I realized that she wasn't really a little girl at all, just a petite teenager.

"Thank you, Bree," Angela giggled. "This is my sister, Bella. Bella, this is Bree."

"Hello Bree, pleased to meet you." I smiled and held out my hand but was instead wrapped in a hug.

"You're much prettier then Angela described."

"Well thank you," I said quietly, blushing. "You're very pretty yourself."

"Thank you," she smiled in response. "I'll go get Ben so we can go." She dashed down the hallway and into an open room.

She emerged seconds later, dragging a cute young man in khaki colored overalls and a worn light blue button-up. He had a bit of dirt on his cheek and his hair was a mess but he smiled genuinely when he saw Angela.

"Hello, Ang," he breathed, kissing her cheek.

She giggled obnoxiously. "Hi Ben," she sighed, kissing his cheek. "This is my sister, Bella."

"It's a pleasure, Miss Bella." He took my hand in his and kissed my knuckles.

"That it is, Ben. Thank you for making my sister so happy." I smirked.

"Shut up, Bella," Angela growled, shoving me slightly. "He does not."

"You do," I assured him. "She was positively giddy this morning."

"Yes, well," he blushed. "I'm happy as well, Angela. Shall we go?" He changed the subject.

"He loves you," I sang quietly as we trailed behind him and his sister. "You can see it in his eyes. You two will make pretty babies; he's very handsome."

"Oh, shut it." She shook her head and abruptly tugged me to into a large room. It was fairly bland, with all of its tables pushed haphazardly aside. I figured it to be the third class dining salon.

As soon as the music started up Angela offered me a smile, grabbing Ben's hand and tugging him to where everyone else was dancing. "Thanks for sticking with me, Ang!" I called after their retreating forms.

Shortly thereafter I found myself with a glass full of foul smelling liquid in hand and Bree at my side. She raised her glass to me and we drank together. I coughed and choked over whatever was in the glass; it was as unpleasant tasting as it was smelling, though Bree was unfazed.

"Why did I even come all the way down here if all she was gonna do was run off without me leaving me here all alone without her? Wait...that didn't make sense, did it? Shit, was is this shit?" I muttered, sniffing the empty glass. It was replaced with a new glass of a different substance shortly thereafter. Those third classers were efficient.

XxoOoxX

"Oh!" I squealed as a boy I didn't know grabbed my hands and spun me around. As I tripped over my two left feet he lifted me above his head and twirled us around. "Oh God, stop. Stop, please," I begged, suddenly nauseous.

He set me down again and twirled around the room. Now that I was back on my feet the nausea dissipated. "Oh God, I'm so sorry," I apologized as some of my newest drink sloshed onto his shirt at our sudden stop.

"Not a problem, pretty lady," he smirked, kissing my knuckles . "Thank you for the spin." He winked and rushed away.  
_  
Huh, that wasn't strange or anything._

"Bella, what on earth are you doing?"

I spluttered some of the sip I'd just taken as I spun around, eyes landing on the owner of the voice. "The hell are you doing here?" I gasped, eyeing his messy hair. I kind of wanted to run my fingers through it...

His eyes glinted furiously and his breathing was heavy. _Huh... maybe he's the reason Fatty McPherson left so abruptly._ I snorted. _Shit, that wasn't very kind at all._

"Well you see," Edward began, interrupting my inner monologue, "Sarah ran off from her mother again. After seeing you and another pretty lady that looked like you go down a corridor that we told her was off limits she came to see me. She thought that it was dangerous and she was scared for you."

_You're kind of really superbly beautiful when you're angry... _

"Sarah's a very adventurous child. She likes to wander off and she likes to explore. Obviously we just didn't want her wandering down here with the drunks. And I don't exactly want you down here with the drunks, either."

"They're not drunks!" I raged. "Well, Michael Newton's a bit of a drunk but they aren't causing any harm. Just because they can't afford fancy-ass suites and parlours like you can doesn't mean they aren't just people. And damn it all if they don't know how to throw a party."

"That's not what I meant, Bella. It's unfortunate that they can't afford better, but some of them can't afford better because they spend all their money on alcohol and the abuse of women."

"And some of them can't help it!" I snapped back. "So you don't want me down here with the drunks. What do you care, anyway?"

The urge to run my fingers through his hair had been replaced with the urge to slap him. _You're sort of really obnoxious when you're angry._

"I care because-"

"And watcha gonna do about it?" I cut him off, dancing out of his reach and climbing onto a nearby table, emptying the full glass in my hand in one swig._ I'm not going anywhere, mister._

"Bella, have you gone absolutely bonkers?"

My eyes widened at his tone and though I was angry with him I couldn't help but laugh. And we're not talking giggles here. Full out snorting, gasping, choking laughter is what we're talking about. I mean... honestly, _bonkers?_

"Lighten up, Edward," I hiccoughed, smirking. "We were just," hiccough, "havin' a lil fun! No harm done."

"My God, you're drunk! How many of these have you had?" he asked, reaching up and snatching the glass from my hand.

"Er... actually, come to think of it I'm not quite sure. Woops!" I snorted.

"Come on Bella, down you come." Edward held his hand up to me.

"Oh no, you're irritated!" I shook my head, hiccoughing again. "I don't like irritated people. Or wait... maybe I don't like irritating people. Although you're rather irritating at the moment. But who could think about anything with all this racket?" I looked around me. I wasn't the only one on a table, but I was the only one standing still. There were all sorts of people, young and old, boys and girls, dancing, running, drinking, and playing various instruments. "When did it get so loud in here?"

"The volume hasn't changed in the last fifteen minutes, Bella. Now would you please come down from there?"

"Who died and made you king?" I grumbled, reaching my foot forward to find something to step down onto.  
_  
Wait, I thought I wasn't going anywhere? _

I screeched as I missed the stool I was aiming for and flew forward. "Who the hell gave you so much alcohol?" Edward groaned as he caught me.

"Is everywhere," I explained, suddenly exhausted. "Not so... hard to git."

"You, my dear, are incredibly manic depressive when you're drunk."

"Not drunk," I argued stubbornly.

"Come on, beautiful girl," he sighed, sweeping me off of my feet.

"Whaddabout Angela?" I wondered where she was.

"Where is she?" he asked.

"I dunno. She was with Ben... waaaaay over there." I slung my arm around in a circle, not really knowing where I was pointing.

"I'm right here, Bella, and unlike you I'm sober and well. I'll be fine," Angela assured me, appearing out of nowhere.

"You need to go home," I scolded.

"We haven't one yet, remember? I'll be fine down here, I promise. I have Ben, who is also perfectly sober."

"Not my fault." I grumbled. "There was so much and so many kinds. Hows I spose ta know?"

"It's alcohol and you're a lady," she said. "You should've known."

"Not a lady," I yawned. "And stay if you must, but don't... don't do anything that I wouldn't do." I felt Edward turn and begin to move. "Why you come down here anyway?" I mumbled, wrapping my arms tightly around Edward's neck as he left steerage behind us. _You smell wonderful.  
_  
"Because I wanted to make sure you were safe," is what I thought I heard him say. I don't know for sure, though. I was pretty much asleep by then.

**Edward Cullen**

"Bella, what cabin are you in?" I was met with a soft snore in response. "Bella? Beeeeellaaaaaa," I sang to no avail. "Oh, please don't kill me in the morning," I whispered as I made my way to my family's suite.

I unlocked the door when I got there, careful not to drop Bella, and sidestepped through the gap. I fumbled for the light switch, surprised by the darkness of the room.

Just as I found it the light flipped on and Sarah jumped off of the couch. "Uncle Edward!" she screeched.

"Sarah, shhhhh," I whispered as Bella grumbled something in her sleep, shifting in my arms and moving her arms to clutch my shirt between her fingers.  
Her eyes widened. "Why d'you have Miss Bella? Did the bad thing get her?"

"The bad thing?" I asked, utterly confused.

"The bad thing down one of the corridors you told me not go down that she went through!" she rushed out.

"No, Sarah. There are no bad things down those corridors, we just don't want you wandering down them. I have Miss Bella because she fell asleep before she could tell me where her cabin was located. She is going to sleep in my room and I am going to sleep on one of the couches."

Sarah followed me into my room. She pulled the blanket and sheets back as I set Bella down, unwrapping her hands from my shirt and stretching out her legs.

I left her momentarily, running across the hall to get Alice. She answered the door with a scowl on her face.

"Why are you always answering the door? Where's Emmett and Rosie?"

"Out. What do you want?"

"I want you to come help Bella out of her dress."

"Bella?" she asked, quirking her brow.

"Yes," I sighed. "She's incredibly drunk, not to mention incapacitated. I don't know where her cabin is and I don't feel right undressing her myself."

"You're a good man, Edward," she sighed, shutting the door quietly and following me across the hall.

She spent only a minute or two in my room. "She's all yours, brother." She clapped a hand on my shoulder. "She's very pretty."

I nodded my agreement as she let go of me. "Goodnight, Sarah," Alice called into the kids' room. "Goodnight, Charlie."

"He's sleepin' already Mommy," Sarah said, poking her head out. "I love you."

"I love you, too. Be good for your uncle and your grandparents."

"I will, Mommy," she sighed exasperatedly.

I went back into my room. Bella was left in a white slip, barely reaching her knees. I pulled the blankets back around her and brushed my lips over her forehead.

I took my sleep clothes out with me as I went to get a glass of water. "G'night, beautiful." I left the water on the nightstand and closed the door as I left.

* * *

For some reason I'm on Twitter now. Sometimes I'm away from it for days on end, sometimes I twitter-stalk the singer of We the Kings, and sometimes I tweet about Disney movies that are on TV (AKA Wall-E and Lilo and Stitch). Either way, should you feel so inclined, follow me ;) SamanthaKari


	6. Friday April 12th, 1912

So... it's been a while. Is anyone still with me? I apologize for the delay... but since this is the story I've neglected for the longest, it'll be the next one I update! It's too late to start working on the next chapter right now, as much as I'd like to, but I'll start working on it tomorrow, and I'll try my very hardest to get it up in the next couple of weeks.

If you're still here, thanks for sticking with me!

* * *

**Isabella Swan**

When I opened my eyes the next morning I wished I were dead. _What did I do last night?  
_  
My head pounded and my brain screamed for me to close them again. _Kill me now._

I looked around the room, my eyes widening as I took in the extravagant furniture and decor. _Where am I?_

My eyes landed on a small glass of water and two small tablets. _Oh thank the good Lord._

I sat up, just a tad too fast, and swallowed the little pills before vertigo sent me back to the pillows. When the spots cleared from my vision I sat up again, slower this time, and removed myself from the tangle of sheets and pillows.

I caught sight of my dress from the previous night draped over the back of a chair and gasped, looking down at myself. I was still in my slip and breathed a sigh of relief at the fact.

I pulled the dress back over my head and tied the sash before opening the door and looking around. "Hiya, Miss Bella! I'm glad the bad thing didn't getcha!" I heard as a pair of tiny arms wrapped around me from behind.

"Oh... thank you, Sarah. I'm glad too, I believe..."

"Are you hungry?" she asked excitedly.

My stomach rumbled in response, causing her to giggle. "Come on!"

"Where are we going?" I asked.

"First I'm s'posed to scort you back to your room case you wanna get changed, then I'm s'posed to scort you to the dining room."

"Oh?"

"Yes, but shhh, it's a secret! Come on!"

"All right, all right, I'm coming." She opened the door for me and curtsied before taking my hand and yanking me into the corridor.

"Uh... which way is your room, Miss Bella?"

"Come on, silly girl," I giggled, lifting her to my hip and showing her the way.

Angela wasn't there when we arrived, and I hoped she was all right. Her bed didn't look slept in and while I was sure she was with Ben and his sister, I still worried a bit.

"Sit down, please," Sarah urged, disentangling herself from my arms and opening the tiny closet in our cabin.

"I think you should wear this one," she said, jumping up to detach the dress from it's hanger. "Uncle Edward thinks you look eequisit in blue."

I blushed, playing with my fingers as I mumbled, "I think you mean exquisite."

"That too," she giggled, handing me the dress. "Here."

I changed into the dress and went to fix my hair. "No, I'll do it!" Sarah demanded. "Sit back down. Please."

Reluctantly I complied. She crawled behind me and situated herself on her knees before going to work. I cringed as I felt her twist and twirl the brush through my hair. "What are you doing?" I groaned.

"Fixing your hair! There, I'm all finished."

She pushed me off of the bed and jumped down beside me. "Well?"

I had to admit that I didn't look horrible. "Thank you, Sarah."

"You're welcome. C'mon!" I allowed her to take me to the first class dining saloon. "Sit here, please." She pushed me to a bench near the elevators. "I'll be right back." She ran into the dining room and looked around before disappearing from my line of sight.

Soon enough she was back, practically dragging me along behind her. "There," she whispered loudly, pointing, "is Uncle Edward. Come on!"

My eyes widened at the strength she possessed as she literally hauled me across the room and pushed me into a chair. "Can I have that cake?" she asked, pointing at Edward's plate.

"For breakfast?"

"You were going to eat it for breakfast."

"Point well made, Miss Whitlock. Here you are." He gave her his cake and she ran off.

"Good morning, Bella," he said smoothly, winking at me as he called over one of the waiters lingering about the room.

"Good morning, Edward. I must apologize for last night. I don't actually remember any of it, but I'm sure it was quite horrible for you to witness. I've never had more than a glass of wine with dinner before yesterday, and it was clearly a mistake to partake in-"

"Shhh," he scolded, covering my mouth with his hand. "Mistakes happen. And you talk too much. I didn't really give you much of a choice before I had Sarah drag you down here. Would be so kind as to have breakfast with me?"

"I would love to," I said, talking into his hand.

"My apologies," he muttered, taking his hand away quickly. "What would you like."

"Whatever you're having will be fine with me."

"What can I get for you this morning, sir?" the waiter asked, appearing just as Edward was ready to order.

"We would like the baked apples, sirloin steak and fried eggs, please."

"Right away, sir. And the same for you, Ma'am?"

"Yes, thank you... apples, eggs, and steak? That's quite the combination," I said as he left.

"Did you want something different? It won't be any trouble to call him back and change your order," he said, worried.

"No, no it's fine, really. I'm just surprised, that's all. It's an interesting choice. I'm sure it will be wonderful."

The waiter reappeared, placing our dishes on the table in front of us. He refilled Edward's water glass and gave me one of my own. "Can I get you some juice for your meal? Perhaps coffee?"

"Orange juice would be wonderful," I said quietly, hoping I wasn't overstepping any lines.

"And for me as well," Edward requested.

The waiter was full of magic. He'd barely even left before there were glasses of juice and a pitcher for refills on our table. "Wow," I whispered in awe. "He's fantastic."

Edward merely laughed. "Does everything look all right?"

"It looks amazing," I replied, gazing at the spread. "I don't know how I'll possibly be able to eat all of this."

"Just eat what you want," he answered, as if it were the most obvious thing in the world.

"But they'll just throw out what I don't finish, right? It's such a waste. There are starving people in the world, and here I am with this extravagant, albeit interestingly combined, breakfast that I can't possibly finish and it's just going to be thrown into a landfill!"

"Bella, we're on a ship... there are no landfills here."

"You know what I mean! It's such a waste!"

"Well there'll be more of it wasted if you don't even touch it..."

"Well of course I'm going to touch it," I said. "I'm starving. I just can't help but to think of all of the people I knew back home that are starving but don't have the option of eating only a portion of their breakfast because they don't even have a portion of a breakfast to begin with!"

I met his startled eyes and gasped. "Oh gosh, I am so sorry. That was totally and completely inappropriate, I-"

His hand was on my mouth again, and I had the sudden urge to lick it. _What is wrong with me?_

"You're perfectly entitled to your opinions. But they do make me wonder, who are you, Bella? What's your story?"

"You want to know my story?" I asked, shocked.

"Why not? You're not really a murderer, are you?"

"No," I giggled. "I'm not a murderer. I'm just not all that interesting."

"Well I'm interested," he insisted, smiling at me.

"Well... I was born outside of Southampton. My mother died birthing my sister, Angela. I was only just four, and I don't remember her, really. Just a flash of memory here or there.

"My father was a police officer, but he was killed by a car last month. We just couldn't take living in the same city where he'd lived and worked all our lives, and that's how we ended up here. We're going to New York with everything we have... Angela will finish up high school and I'll hopefully finally be able to attend university there.

"That's really all there is to us. To me."

"I'm sure there's much more. How old are you?"

"Twenty-one."

"Why didn't you attend school before?"

"My father didn't believe in furthering our education, past high school. He was very old-fashioned, and believed that our place in the world was in a man's house and nothing more. I was very stubborn, and while I didn't attend college I refused to be courted. I waitressed in a little cafe, just to prove I was worth more than a piece of property. He didn't very much like it."

Edward's eyes flashed in anger.

"He wasn't a bad man," I insisted. "I loved him, and I miss him very much. I just didn't agree with his views on women."

"What do you wish to do, after university?" he asked, ignoring my defense.

I studied him for a moment as I thought about that. "I think I might like to teach. I've always enjoyed children."

He eyed me thoughtfully. "Are you still against courtship?"

"Not necessarily. As long as it's with the right person. What about you? What's your story?" I asked, changing the subject from me to him.

"Well... I'm twenty-four. I have a brother, Emmett. He's a year older than me, and his wife, Rosalie, is a year younger than me. They have a little girl, Catherine. My sister, Alice, is a year younger than me. Her husband, Jasper, is my age, and they have Sarah and Charlie. My father's a doctor, and I'm almost one. My mother doesn't work, but she does a lot of charity events. I've lived in New York my whole life, and that's about as interesting as I get."

"I'm sure there's much more," I repeated his words from earlier. "You're a doctor?"

"Almost," he clarified. "I'm in my internship. Soon I'll be a resident, though."

"And that's a doctor?"

"Pretty much," he nodded.

"Okay, um... Are you against courtship?"

"Not necessarily. As long as it's with the right person. I'm against forced or arranged marriages."

"Have any lucky ladies stolen your heart?"

"It's possible. I don't know for sure, though."

"Okay one more. Why do Sarah and Charles stay in your suite?"

"They were supposed to be in a room with Catherine, but she's been having night terrors recently and they scare Charlie, who can't sleep without Sarah. So those two are in my suite, where my parent stay, as well, and Catherine has a room in the suite with Alice and Jasper and Emmett and Rose."

The waiter came at that moment to clear our plates away. "Look at that, you didn't waste it after all," Edward smirked.

"Maybe not," I replied, "but I may never need to eat again. That was delicious. Thank you for having your niece drag me here without a choice."

"Hey," he growled playfully, "I gave you a choice."

"After I was already here," I argued. "I'd hardly call that a choice."

"You had every right to leave."

I glanced at the clock. "I'm afraid I should utilize that right... I need to go find Angela and make sure that she's okay."

"May I escort you back to your cabin?"

"I would be honored, thank you."


	7. April 12th Evening

What's this? An update? It is indeed, dearies. I promise I'll try and do better. Enjoy!**  
**

* * *

**Isabella Swan**

He took my hand as we left the dining hall, sending butterflies rushing frantically through my stomach. _What is it with this man? _He moved my left hand into his and wrapped his right arm around my shoulders, pulling me into his side as we made our way down the decks.

I grinned happily as he took my room key from me, unlocking the door and holding it open, making an over-exaggerated sweeping motion with his arm. I smiled shyly, feeling my cheeks heat up as I stepped past him and into the room.

I looked around the small space and once again it looked as though Angela still had not been back to the room. I bit my thumb nail as my eyes darted around, looking for any sign of her recent presence. I couldn't find one.

"I'm sure she's fine." I spoke the words aloud, even though they were only meant for me. "How much trouble could she get into on a ship? There're only so many place for her to go, only so many ways to get lost... hurt... murdered..."

"I'm sure she's fine, Bella," Edward repeated my words. "But I'll help you look for her, if you'd like."

"You'd do that for me?" I asked, surprised.

"Of course." His expression mirrored my feelings.

"But... why?"

"You care very much for your sister. If it were Alice I would be out looking for her, and I'd like any help I could get," he shrugged. "And I..." he trailed off, looking shy all of a sudden.

"And?" I coaxed.

"And I enjoy spending time with you," he admitted.

I smiled again, feeling my cheeks heat even more. "I enjoy spending time with you, too."

The grin that lit up his face was brilliant, making my heart feel like a race horse. My gaze flickered between his and his lips, my breathing increasing as his tongue darted out, sweeping first to the right, then to the left and back again.

He leaned forward slowly, his forehead coming to rest against the top of mine. I lifted my gaze to meet his once more, so much closer than we'd ever been.

"Bella?" he asked softly, inching closer yet.

"Yes?" He was right there. _Right._ _There_.

"I'm going to kiss you now."

"Okay," I whispered. He moved to close the distance and, just as his lips brushed mine, the door slammed open.

"_There _you are!" Angela sighed in relief. "I've been worried sick, looking all over for you! Oh," she gasped, realizing what she'd interrupted. "I'm sorry... I'll just... go, then..."

But the moment was lost. _Dammit_.

We stepped away from each other hastily, Edward's face bright red as he rubbed his hand over it. "There _I _am? And just where have _you _been?" I demanded. "You weren't here when I came back this morning, and I'm quite certain you haven't been here since."

"I checked in for you this morning and it was clear you never came back last night! I've been looking for you all over the place. Do you know how many places there are for you to go? To get lost? Hurt? Murdered?"

"Well if I hadn't seen a familial resemblance before, I can certainly see it now," Edward commented, eyeing the pair of us standing face to face with our hands on our hips. He put his hand on my shoulder and leaned in close, his lips brushing first against my cheek and then against my ear. "Spend the day with your sister. I'll see you later, perhaps?"

"Okay," I answered, saddened by the fact that he was leaving but at the same time glad I'd finally get to spend some time with Angela, exploring and adventuring like we'd planned from the very beginning. "See you."

He turned at the door, winking before disappearing into the corridor. "Good Lord, Bella," Angela smirked. "You two are incredible."

"What are you talking about?"

"You've known each other for all of two days yet you move and act as though you've been together for a lifetime."

"I have no idea what you're talking about," I countered honestly. "He's just being polite."

"As if," she scoffed.

"Have you eaten?" I asked, steering the conversation away from me.

"Aye. Have you?"

"I have. I fell asleep on the way back last night. Edward gave up his bed for me and he invited me to breakfast."

"The man gave up his bed for you and you don't know what I'm talking about? Are you daft?"

"Are you? Spending the evening in steerage?"

She blushed, and suddenly that was the end of the current topic of conversation. "Speaking of steerage, are you up for that adventure we planned for?"

"Of course," I replied, picking up my hair brush. "But what does that have to do with steerage?" I motioned for Angela to turn around and went to work on a knot right in the middle of her head.

"That's where it begins, of course. I found a door, and beyond it, a hatch. I have a feeling it leads to the boiler room and rumor has it the boiler room leads to the cargo hold. Imagine all of the things that must be stored down there," she said dreamily.

"Things which don't belong to us and aren't a free for all," I reminded her.

"I know that," she grumbled, pushing the brush away from her head and smoothing her hands over her hair. "I wasn't suggesting we take any of it - I just thought it would be cool to look at. If you don't want to do it we don't have to. We could just take a walk or we could try to sneak the both of us up into first class or -"

"Hush," I said, cutting her off. "I'll go to the boiler rooms with you. I know how much you used to like the books on engineering, and I agree that it would be interesting to see the kinds of things people are shipping to America. But the boiler rooms are sure to be dirty and neither of our dresses are easily cleaned, so we'd best change first."

We changed into cheaper dresses and bound our hair with pieces of ribbon before heading out to look for what appeared to be Angela's fantasy. She had an extra little bounce in her step as I locked the door and followed her down the same passages we'd taken to get to the party last night.

When we hit the bottom of what I liked to call Micheal's stairs we took a right instead of heading to the left and down another staircase. We took turn after turn, heading into more and more remote parts of the ship until we found a heavy white metal door.

"It's surly locked," I told Angela as she stepped forward to pull it open, but it moved easily. "Well that's odd. They've made it awfully easy for people like us."

I pulled it shut behind us and waited for Angela to pull up the hatch that was in the corner of the floor. Besides the door we'd come through it was the only way out, and out of the room did I want. It was much too small for my liking.

With a dramatic sweep of her hands, Angela motioned for me to precede her down the hatch. I hiked up my skirts and stepped onto the ladder carefully, making my way down into an almost literal room of fire.

The boilers' open doors cast an eerie orange glow against the floors, the ceiling, and the walls. Smoke wafted lazily throughout the room, giving me the urge to cough, and it must've been over a hundred degrees directly next to the gigantic hunks of metal that were powering the ship.

"This is insanity!" I called to Angela over the ruckus, studying the hundreds of men working the boilers, shoveling coal into small openings, stoking the flames. She jumped the last few rungs and landed neatly beside me.

"This is cool," she disagreed, grabbing my hand and tugging me towards the nearest boiler. She reached out towards it, as if to touch it.

"Don't do that," I shrieked, grabbing her hand. "You'll scorch yourself!"

"But it would be so worth it," she said in awe, mesmerized by the hulking beast.

"Not if you could never use it again," I countered, taking a step back. We'd been standing there for maybe twenty seconds and I was already drenched in sweat. I tugged at the top of my dress uncomfortable, looking around at all of the men in the room. A couple of them were staring at us curiously, but for the most part the group ignored us. Or perhaps they just hadn't yet noticed us.

"Let's keep moving," I suggested, taking another step back and turning in the opposite direction from where we came. "It looks like there's a door down there - let's head that way."

We passed three of the workstations before somebody said anything to us. "Hey! What the hell are the two-a you doin' all the way down here?" I glanced back at the middle-aged man headed towards us, grabbing Angela's hand and taking off towards the door.

We burst through the door, falling over one another into a heap on the cold floor. Giggles escaped from us before we could stop them, making it harder and harder to catch our breath as they turned into hysterics.

"Get up," I finally gasped, shoving Angela off of me. "Before they come after us." I hauled myself up and slammed the door shut, turning the lever to secure it in place. I leaned against it, resting my forehead against the metal as my breathing slowly returned to normal.

"Wow," Angela finally breathed, causing me to turn around and take in our surroundings.

"Damn," I agreed. The room was cavernous, trunks and boxes and crates stacked to the ceiling against the walls, secured with nets and ropes and wires. Trunks and boxes and crates were stacked throughout the middle of the room as well, four or five high, creating a labyrinth of sorts.

"Want to give it a go, then?" I suggested.

"Obviously," Angela sighed in awe, only moving forward by about a foot.

"Well let's go then," I insisted, putting a hand on her shoulder and giving her a little push for good measure. "God, you're so strange," I teased as she set a hand on the nearest stack of cargo, letting it trail across the side as she finally started walking on her own.

"Tell me you don't think this is as intriguing as I do," she dared.

"It's quite intriguing," I agreed, "but that doesn't mean I'm going to drool over it."

"Oh, just shut up and let me have my moment."

"Lead the way."

After what literally felt like hours, gallivanting through the maze of other people's belongings, some of which smelt strongly of rotten fish and one being a particularly pricy looking automobile, we finally found another door.

Angela, unable to open it herself, motioned me forward to help. We tugged the lever down together and bashed our shoulders into the middle, once more landing in a heap, this time on the wooden deck. "Would you stop that?" I cried, grasping my elbow.

"What?" she asked, disgruntled.

"Stop landing on me!" I shoved her off of me for the second time that night.

"Eugh."

"What's the problem now?"

"You're bleeding," she whined, inching away from me.

"Oh for Christ's sake, Angela. It's just blood. What are you going to do when you have children? You're going to bleed."

"Yeah, but I won't have to look at it."

"Well you don't have to look at it now, either. I'm not holding your face against my arm!" I got to my feet, holding my uninjured arm out to Angela, pulling her to her feet beside me. "C'mon."

"Where to now?" she asked.

"First, I'm going to go find something to wrap around my arm."

"And then?" she asked, looping her arm through mine.

"I don't know. One thing at a time."

As it turned out, thin strips of fabric were not easily located. I ended up shredding one of our towels and, after soaking the bloody mess my elbow had become in soap and water, had Angela tie it up for me.

"How did you manage to scrape yourself up this badly?" she asked, using another piece of the ruined towel to pat the rest of my arm dry.

"Why don't you ask the woman who threw me onto the deck?" I snarked.

"It's not like I did it on purpose," she defended herself.

"I know that. I don't really blame you," I assured her. "It's not that bad, anyway. I just don't want it to continue bleeding or open up again later and ruin the bed sheets or whatever I'm wearing at the time."

I stripped my dress off, letting it fall to the floor. The elbow was torn and it was covered in soot, and I didn't seen any point in hanging it up again when I knew I'd be throwing it in the garbage.

I stood in front of our sink, using a new towel to wipe my body clean from the grime of the boiler room. "I think this entire side is going to bruise," I complained, poking at my hip bone and cringing at the sharp sting it produced.

"Ugh, I'm sorry!" Angela cried, throwing her hands in the air.

"Don't worry about it. I just don't understand how I managed to be on the bottom both times. I'm going to look like I was hit by a car, and you're just fine," I complained, pulling my nightdress.

"That's not funny, Bella," Angela whispered.

"What?" I asked, turning to face her, frowning at her suddenly ashen complexion, tears in her eyes. "Oh, Ange... I wasn't even thinking about it. I didn't mean -"

"I know," she said. "I know you didn't mean anything by it. I just don't understand how you can be so... cavalier about it."

"I don't think about it," I said again. "I can't think about it or I won't know how to make it through the day."

"I wish I knew how to just not think about. I can't _not _think about it. It's always in the back of my mind."

"It'll get better. Not anytime soon, but eventually."

"How do you do it?"

"I was young when our mother died," I reminded her. "But old enough to remember. It took forever for the pain of losing her to go away. I guess when our father died, I already knew what it felt like to lose someone important, and it just didn't impact me like it did you. But I promise you, it will get better."

"I miss him," she cried, sitting on the edge of her bed.

"I know," I whispered, sitting next to her and grasping her hand. "I do, too."

"Please don't die, Bella."

"I won't," I promised, stroking her hair as she lay her head on my shoulder. "Not for a good long while."

"Good. I don't think I could handle losing anyone else."

"Well luckily for you, you don't have to worry about that anytime soon." We stayed in that position until her breathing evened out. I cleaned her of the boiler room's grime and pulled her nightdress over her head, wrestling with her arms and the sleeves before laying her back on the bed and crawling into my own.


End file.
